Barbour: Criminals were 'redeemed'

Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour defended his controversial pardons Wednesday, saying that although he understands the feelings of “vengeance” from the families of victims, those he released “deserve a second chance.”

Barbour granted nearly 200 pardons, including those to a handful of murderers, in his final days as governor.

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“I understand, recognize and respect the fact that if you were injured by somebody, or if your loved one was killed, that there may be vengeance, there may be fear, there may be all these things,” said Barbour on CBS’s “This Morning.”

“A lot of guys aren’t going to be rehabilitated. These have been. They’ve redeemed themselves. They deserve a second chance,” he added.

In particular, Barbour cited the case of David Gatlin, who served nearly 20 years in prison for murder but was a model inmate.

“David Gatlin, in 20 years, never had one citation for any infraction or violation of the rules,” Barbour said.

The former governor also noted that pardons were in the tradition of his office. “When I became governor, I made plain that I would follow the tradition of governors in Mississippi.”

Barbour asserted that murderers were the least likely to commit another crime, which explained why some of the staff in the governor’s mansion were convicted murderers who were subsequently pardoned.

“For decades, part of the staff in the [governor’s] mansion are trustees from the state penitentiary. In my time, all but one of them have been murderers, because the experts say that those are the people who are the least likely to commit another crime, and that they are the ones who will serve best. I’ve found that to be the case,” Barbour said.

Meanwhile, the former governor said he is looking forward to an exciting week in South Carolina, ahead of this weekend’s primary.

“You wouldn’t think South Carolina would be very good ground for Romney, and these recent polls that have shown Romney ahead by fair margin, I think, were surprising to anybody that’s been around a long time,” said Barbour. “This is the week we’ll see how that holds up. I think South Carolina will be very close, very competitive.”